Tagged Questions
2
votes
2answers
143 views
What’s the word for the habit of writing “play’d” or “revolv’d”?
I’m working on an 18th-century manuscript, and I’m trying to explain to others the use of ’d in past tense verbs.
Is there a word that encompasses the usage of ’d in early 18th-century manuscripts? ...
5
votes
1answer
111 views
Why does the “e” in judge vanish in the word “judgment”?
The in the word "judgment", the "e" from "judge" is absent. Three questions on this:
Why is this?
Is there a name for such a contraction?
How and why does the "g" still retain its "soft" ...
1
vote
1answer
243 views
Pronunciation of “'ll”
How do I read the following sentences (especially in conversational speech)?
The dog'll eat the bones.
Tom'll go to school.
Anna'll come tomorrow.
I mean the sound of 'll.
20
votes
3answers
4k views
How to pronounce the programmer's abbreviation “char”
In many programming languages, char is a type name for character values. The word character is pronounced with a [k] sound, but what about char?
While trying to find the answer elsewhere, I learnt ...
9
votes
2answers
508 views
Does the 18th century contraction “on't” survive phonologically in English today?
The February 18th-24th edition of The Economist has an article titled "Neurons v free will" in which the author, Anthony Gottlieb begins by quoting Dr. Johnson's statement about free will:
"Sir ...
9
votes
4answers
903 views
Different pronunciations of “she's” depending on the meaning
According to The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the contraction she's may be pronounced both with a short [i] sound(as in pit) and a long [i:] sound(as in sheep) when it means she is, but it ...
6
votes
1answer
729 views
Word contractions in Shakespeare's plays
In Shakespeare's plays it is common to find contracted words, such as "o'er", "e'en", "sulph'uous", "ta'en". Is it just a literary device or those words were actually pronounced (in day-to-day speech) ...
8
votes
6answers
2k views
Difference in pronunciation between “your” and “you're”?
I'm a native English speaker (Texas counts, I suppose), and I pronounce "your" to rhyme with "core", and "you're" to rhyme with "cure". Is it just me or did I pick this up somewhere?
